Crackdown on trucking schools shouldn't disrupt industry. But scrutiny on immigrant drivers might

The fact that there are probably more drivers than needed right now in the midst of a 10% drop in shipments since 2022 because of the economic uncertainty also helps, although trucking companies still struggle to find enough well-qualified drivers with clean records.

Even before a truck driver that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says was not authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people, the administration focused on making sure truck drivers meet English proficiency standards. The focus on immigrant drivers, who account for about 20% of all truckers, intensified after that August crash as the Transportation Department audited commercial driver's license programs and Duffy proposed new restrictions that would severely limit which noncitizens could get a license to drive a semi or a bus.

A court put the new rules on hold. But Duffy threatened to withhold millions from California, Pennsylvania and Minnesota after the audits found significant problems under the existing rules like commercial licenses being valid long after an immigrant truck driver's work permit expired, That pressure prompted California to revoke 17,000 licenses.

Some immigrant drivers are afraid to go on the road

Trucking company owner Dave Atwal said that as a result many of his drivers at Diamond Transportation in Lodi, California, are “just afraid to go to some of these other states where they might get harassed.” Atwal has been able to assign some drivers to in-state routes, but he has lost more than 40 drivers who either walked away from the job or were unable to renew their licenses even though they have several years of safe driving on their records.

Dave Laut said he has had a hard time finding all the drivers he wants to have behind the wheels of his 300 or so trucks at FBT Inc. Immigrant drivers are bearing the brunt of the government enforcement, according to Laut who is Sikh like the driver in the Florida crash and the driver of another fatal crash in California this fall.

“A lot of (Sikhs) are quitting truck driving,” he said. “They feel people target them, and they feel insulted and they are quitting jobs. They are hardworking guys. They stand out more.”

Laut said his company underwent a Homeland Security audit of his drivers' immigration statuses about two weeks ago. It passed that review, which many trucking firms in California are undergoing.

But Duffy's announcement Monday that as many as 7,500 trucking programs could soon be decertified will threaten the ongoing effort to attract and train new drivers — particularly if any schools doing things the right way get caught up with schools not playing by the rules.

But many of the schools that would be forced out of business were already idle before the Transportation Department took action, so decertifying them may not have a dramatic impact. The vast majority of the schools at risk either failed to submit a required biannual report or hadn't submitted any certificates verifying that a student had completed their course in the past year.

Trucking industry can likely absorb the changes

Logan Cooper, who arranges for trucks to deliver containers of imported goods from ports and rail yards for OEC Group, said “there’s some room to absorb this in the industry” but there will likely be some impact over time.

But Blair Robbins, who advises companies about their transportation needs as a partner with EisnerAmper, said that even if all these efforts do lead to higher rates, they would be increasing off the current lower shipping rates that are depressed because of the decline in the number of shipments in recent years. Robbins said he has seen estimates that only about 5% to 10% of the workforce might be affected, and that will happen gradually over time.

Tougher standards should mean safer drivers

Dane Rogers, CEO of Western Pacific Truck School in California and the national Commercial Vehicle Training Association, supports the federal government’s efforts to enforce the 2022 driver training standards. Rogers’ school, which trains hundreds of drivers every year, was not found out of compliance.

“We’ve been highlighting this for years,” Rogers said. “There’s so many truck schools that just pop up, and they don’t adhere to the rigorous standards set forth by either California or the FMCSA – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.”

Jeffery Burkhardt, who is chair of the national trucking schools group, said established schools don't have any problem complying with the standards. Burkhardt is also is senior director of operations at Ancora, which provides CDL training at colleges, community colleges and companies.

“For the legitimate schools it’s not a problem. We welcome it. For the illegitimate schools, it’s a bad thing for them,” Burkhardt said.

Decertifying nearly half of all trucking schools could limit the number of new drivers and create monthslong waiting lists at the remaining schools. But Rogers and major trucking groups, including the American Trucking Association and the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, think it is a good idea to ensure schools are meeting the standards to prepare drivers to handle 80,000-pound trucks on highways across the country.

“Do you want more truck drivers that are dangerous, or do you want less truck drivers that are more competent?” Rogers said. “I would go with the latter.”

But this may extend wait lists at trucking schools

Antonio Yates said classes at the 100 Placement Truck Driving School he works at in Detroit are already full for the next two to three months, and he expects the wait time will get worse if all these schools close. He said the number of immigrants willing to pay $5,000 to learn how to operate a semitrailer truck or $3,000 to learn to drive a bus has increased over the past year or so.

“They’re from all over, South America, Africa. They’re from everywhere,” said Yates, who added that most are paying for the training themselves.

Yates acknowledged that understanding the English language can be tough for some.

“If I can’t communicate with you, I can’t even train you properly,” he said. “We turn people away all of the time.”

Associated Press writers Corey Williams, Audrey McAvoy and Sophie Austin contributed to this report.